


Darker Side of the Moon

by SydniDawn



Category: The Fosters (TV 2013)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-07
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2017-12-31 17:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1034515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SydniDawn/pseuds/SydniDawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set about a year after 1x10. The Fosters is dealing with changes in their lives... And hiding secrets from everyone else. (I'm really sorry, I totally suck at summaries)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story idea has been floating around in my head since about the time that episode eight aired. Of course, a LOT changed between then and now...  
> I hope you enjoy!

** Chapter One **

 

After graduating from college, Stef had never anticipated a reason to study late at a library ever again. As smart as she was, hitting the books was never her forte. But this was the opportunity she had been waiting for, and Stef was not ready to let it pass her by.

 

Which is why she once again found herself sneaking inside her home, wary of the unusual silence that stretched over the house.

 

“Apparently it’s a lot later that I thought it was.” Stef muttered as she shuffled into the kitchen.

 

The blonde opened the fridge, debating leftovers before shutting it again, and going for her initial target: the semi-frozen water bottle in the freezer.

 

_'Thou shall cater to thy wife before all else,'_ Stef shakes her head in annoyance, as she headed upstairs, _‘I am so much less witty when I’m tired.’_

As she reached the top of the stairs, Stef noticed two lights shining from under doors at opposite sides of the hall. The farthest was not uncommon. Lena always kept the light on if Stef didn’t get home relatively early. As for the other…. She would get to that door later. 

 

Stef checked on Jude and Jesus, then Mariana and Callie, kissing them all on their very much asleep foreheads. Even after the hardest of nights, seeing her babies’ the sleeping faces could always put the blonde police officer at ease. Sleep tended to make everything better, in Stef’s opinion. That calming innocence, it made problems and stresses seem easier to deal with.

 

However, no matter how enticing the sleep, there was always at least one Foster who fought it. Stef eased Brandon’s bedroom door opened, unsurprised to find him sitting up on his bed with his keyboard in front of him.

 

“Hey, love. What are you doing up?” Stef took small comfort in the fact that he was in his pajamas.

 

Brandon shrugged, his fingers ghosting over his keyboard to unheard music, “I figured I'd get some practice in while the house is all quiet.”

 

Stef smiled, before sitting on the bed next to him.

 

“How were things today?”

 

“Jude aced his math test, so we all went out for ice cream to celebrate.” The corner of his mouth tugged up into a half smile.

 

“Oh yeah?” Stef grinned at him, “That's amazing.”

 

Brandon nodded, “And then Mom bought three pints for herself, so you wouldn't have to do any midnight craving runs.”

 

Both mother and son shared a laugh.

 

“Oh, and Jesus is pissed at Mariana because Mariana told you that Jesus snuck Lexi in here the other night.”

 

The blonde groaned as she filled in the blanks, “So expect a shouting match in the morning.”

 

“Pretty much.”

 

Stef’s voice dripped with sarcasm, “Wonderful. Anything else?”

 

“Not that I-,” it was only then that the thought occurred to him, “Oh, right. Mom was going to wait up for you, but I went into your room about half an hour ago to ask her a question, and she was fast asleep.”

 

Stef couldn’t have stopped the goofy grin from spreading across her face if she had tried.

 

The seventeen year old rolled his eyes, “Oh my god, the woman fell asleep. It's not like she bought you a bouquet of roses, and surprised you with a gourmet dinner.”

 

Stef continued to grin like a fool, “Trying to stay awake for me is even more romantic than roses.”

 

“Eww, okay you and your lovesick puppy face need to leave my room now.”

 

Brandon gently shoved her off the bed, before getting up, and pushing her towards his bedroom door. He loved both his moms with everything he had, but sometimes their love for _each other_ was too much. They were worse than teenagers.

 

Stef fell back on her go-to reaction: teasing, “Aww, and I wanted to tell you the thousand different ways I love her.”

 

“Out!” Brandon pushed his mother into the hallway, and shut the door quickly.

 

As he walks back to his bed, Stef opened the door again, and poked her head in.

 

“So I take it you don't want me to wake you up early, and recite the love poems I wrote for her?”

 

His aim was a little off as he threw a pillow at her head, “Get. Out!!”

 

“Goodnight, love.” Even after his door clicked shut, Brandon could hear Stef’s laugh follow her down the hall.

*               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *

 

While it was true that waiting up for her wife had become a common practice for Lena of late, falling asleep while doing so was becoming just as common. Lena still wasn't sure what Stef was doing until such a late hour. Getting Stef to talk about her secrets was something akin to pulling teeth for all involved; necessary in the long run, even if the act itself caused pain that lasted for days. But the blonde had sworn that it was necessary. And so every night, Lena would get into bed alone, and patiently wait for her wife to return home for as long as she could keep her eyes open.

 

Lena was both an elegant and clumsy sleeper. As her pregnant belly grew, the vice principal noted the decrease in her comfort level. The light duvet was shoved down to her feet, the suffocating heaviness leaving her hot and struggling to breathe. Instead, the brunette lay with only the top sheet loosely tucked up around her bulging stomach. A pillow rested on each side of her, gently supporting the added weight, while ensuring that Lena's body doesn't roll out of the only mildly comfortable position she was able to find.

 

The oversized shirt that was stretched over her body barely covered her entire back. When Stef had still claimed ownership, the grey Rolling Stones shirt was almost to her knees, and had been the perfect impromptu piece of sleepwear. It was by no means more comfortable than Lena's own nightwear that were neatly folded in her dresser drawers, but Lena loved it because Stef loved it, and even after a month of her wearing it, her wife's scent was still woven into the threads of the old shirt.

 

 It was Stef's scent more than anything that could lull the woman into a peaceful slumber, and the thought made Stef's heart swell to an impossible size as she quietly snuck into their bedroom.

 

The blonde sped through her nightly routine: removing her uniform and pulling on her pajamas, before quickly brushing her teeth. It is only as she headed to bed that she slowed down. Stef tried her best not to disturb Lena as she slid into bed, to no avail. Her wife's eyes blinked open before her full weight pressed onto the mattress.

 

“Hey, you're home.” Lena’s voice was heavy with sleep.

 

Stef leaned over and kissed Lena, before resting her head on Lena's chest, and her right hand on the warm skin of her stomach.

 

The blonde was immediately apologetic, “I didn't mean to wake you.”

 

Brown curls bounced in her bun as Lena shook her head, “No, I'm glad you did. I hate not knowing that you're home safe.

 

Stef tapped her fingers on the bump of her wife’s stomach, “How was your day?”

 

Lena hums in contentment, kicking the sheets further down her body, moving the pillows behind her back as she pushed herself up into a seated position.

 

“Uneventful. I took a nap at lunchtime, and didn't wake up until around two.”

 

Stef frowned, “You've been really tired lately.”

 

“I know.” Lena’s eyes closing briefly, “I'm sorry, Stef.”

 

“What are you apologizing for, love?” Stef glanced up at her wife, “You've been waking up at four every morning for the past few months, and puking. I still don't know how you get through the day.”

 

Lena grimaced, “Please don't mention puke right now. I'm nauseous enough as it is.”

 

Stef frowned, before sliding the shirt up slightly, and rubbing her growing belly. Lena had been having a hard time with her pregnancy. Having been diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum at nine weeks, every day was a battle to keep herself and their growing twins properly nourished. The brunette had learned to work around the constant nausea; she had been drinking ginger tea like it was her job, and snacking many times during the day, and not just when the queasiness subsided. It wasn't the best of plans, but it seemed to work for her. Of course, that didn't stop Stef from worrying.

 

The blonde pressed a gentle kiss onto the bare skin of Lena’s stomach, “How are my babies doing?”

 

“They're fine.” She ran her fingers through Stef's hair, smiling as Stef sighed happily, “They let me eat a little today, so that's always a plus.”

 

The pale hand shone in contrast of dusted cocoa as it rubbed soothing circles over the taunt skin, “We should really go back to the OB, and see if there is anythi-”

 

Lena's laugh was just as groggy as the rest of her body, but it sounded beautiful to Stef, “I'm not sure it would do any good, Stef. All the women in my family had difficult pregnancies.”

 

Stef held her just a bit tighter, prompting a change in subject.

 

“Tell me about your day.”

 

Stef moved her head so her chin was resting on the belly, “Nothing interesting happened. We drove around, ate lunch, grabbed a couple kids for possession, then did paperwork for the rest of shift.”

 

“Run-on sentence.” Lena couldn’t help but tease her.

 

Stef poked her in the side as a result, “It wasn't even worth a properly structured sentence.”

 

Lena smirked, “Wow, it must have been boring!”

 

“It was.” Ever the queen of non-sequiturs, Stef moved on, “I heard Jude aced his test.”

 

“Yeah, he got a 98,” Lena grinned down at her wife, “Highest mark in the class.”

 

The cop was sitting up in a flash.

 

"He got the highest in the class?"

 

Lena nodded, "By three questions."

 

"He must be thrilled."

 

"He is. He can't wait to show you how well he did."

 

Pride tore through the older woman's chest, adding an extra layer of emotion to her voice, "Yeah?"

 

Lena nods again, "Yeah"

 

Stef settles back down onto Lena's chest and grins evilly, "It's nice that we have ONE perfect child."

 

Lena pinched Stef's arm, "All of our children are perfect...."

 

Stef joined in on Lena's usual mantra, “'In their own way'.”

 

They both let out a soft laugh, with Lena's being much more subdued. Along with the nausea, dizziness and migraines came and went, and the even something as simple as laughing could set it off.

 

“Do you think he and Callie are happy here?” Stef glanced up at Lena in worry.

 

“I think so.”

 

The cop’s voice dropped as concern washed over her body, “But her and Brandon...”

 

“Stef, the reality is, it could still happen.” Lena sighed, “But we told them we want them all as our children, and realistically, they will have to make a decision for themselves.”

 

Stef’s voice was tight as she fought off tears, “I really, _really_ want them, love.”

 

Lena’s hand moved to rub the blonde’s back in comfort, “I know you do, and so do I. But Callie has to choose between her heart, and the guarantee of a...” She flashed the briefest of smiles, “Mostly stable family that she has already become a part of. That's an impossible decision.”

 

“But are we being too easy on them?”

 

“You mean, because we treat them the same way we always have?”

 

Stef nodded.

 

“They are mature, responsible teenagers who respected our ground rules for them without question. I think if they want to spend time together, they should. Being forced apart is not going to change how they feel about one another.”

 

Lena shifted uncomfortably, taking a deep calming breath as her nausea flared up.

 

Dark eyes searched their blue counterparts in concern, “I thought you were okay with it; with them.”

 

“I _am_ , love. I love Callie so much, it's just that...” She sat up again, and looked Lena in the eye, “What if they decide they don't want to be in a relationship, and we adopt her and Jude, and then something happens between them?”

 

Stef shifted around on the bed, never letting her hand leave Lena's belly.

 

“Or what if they give it a try, but then Callie and Jude end up in a home like the Olmstead's again. If something happens to them, I just...”

 

Stef let a tear fall as she shook her head. Everyone she knew assumed that, as a cop, Stef didn’t care to show emotions. That she was rough, and tough, and let her jokes overshadow any and all tears. The assumption was that cops didn’t cry, but Lena knew better. Stef didn’t shy away from showing her emotions, no matter what they were. It was one of the many things that made them the perfect balance; Stef’s complete openness working in harmony with Lena’s reserved nature.

 

“I'd lose it if anything else happened to them, and I know you would too.” Stef let out an emotionless laugh, “How do you seem so calm about all this?”

 

Lena took her time as she reached up, and wiped the tears off her wife’s cheeks, “It's in their hands now. Right now, I know all five of our kids are happy, and they're safe, and they are loved, and that is all I can hope for. We will face what comes next when it happens.”

 

Stef moved her hand to lace her fingers with Lena's, “You really are a saint, aren't you?”

 

“Sometimes,” She smirked.

 

Before Stef could comment, Lena's smile morphed into a grimace, as she rolled away from Stef.

 

Stef frowned as realization washed over her, “Oh no. Again?”

 

The vice principal gave a brief nod, before running into their bathroom, and emptying the contents of her stomach out in the toilet.

 

Before Lena had gotten pregnant, Stef had never realized just how bad morning sickness could be. Of course, she’d heard rumours, horror stories told of ‘friends of friends’. Stef had sailed through her pregnancy with Brandon. No sickness, no complications, with a short labour and even shorter delivery.  It was almost too easy. But with Lena…

 

Stef bent forward, and screamed into Lena's pillow, before getting up and following her wife.  It just wasn’t fair.

 

“So how many times has it been today?” It was Stef’s turn to rub her wife’s back as she plopped down on the floor next to the violently ill woman.

 

Lena held up five fingers with her left hand, as she heaved into the toilet again. She figured shaving three off the actual number didn't make much of a difference. It just stopped Stef from worrying more than she had to.

 

“And there's nothing else you can do?” Worry was etched all over Stef’s face.

 

It took Lena a full two minutes before she could answer her. Considering the situation, that late at night, there hadn’t been much in her stomach to begin with. However it didn’t stop her stomach from turning, or bile rising to her throat.

 

“We've tried everything, Stef. At least the snacking and the tea are helping. Other than that, I'm just going to have to suffer through it.” Or curl up into a ball and cry. At that point, Lena considered it to be a viable option.

 

The blonde's frown deepened. Lena tried to be so strong about everything. There was no doubt of how inspiring it was, and yet it broke Stef’s heart all the same.

 

Stef leaned over and kissed Lena's forehead, “I hate seeing you suffer.”

 

Even amidst the queasiness, Lena still managed to crack a joke, “I hate seeing me suffer too.”

 

Both women smiled in response, though it didn’t reach their eyes. They sat in silence for just about five minutes, before Stef spoke up again.

 

“Crisis averted?”

 

“I think so,” Lena reached up, and flushed the toilet, “Go back in, I will be there in a sec.”

 

Stef was careful upon helping her up, and kissing her wife’s cheek. Stef looked Lena over to make sure she was all right, before she headed back into the bedroom. It was only after brushing her teeth that Lena joined her on their bed.

 

The blonde was quick to pull Lena into her arms, “You're amazing.”

 

“I don't feel very amazing,” Lena quipped.

 

“Trust me my love, you are. You're going through hell, and you've just accepted it.” Stef hid a smirk in the nape of Lena’s neck, “You don't even resent me for never having had morning sickness with Brandon.”

 

Lena faked a glare, “Oh, I resent you plenty.”

 

Stef laughed, and Lena shifted just a bit closer before continuing, “But it doesn't change anything.”

 

Stef sighed, and rubbed her hand over Lena’s lower back, “Five months left?”

 

“Give or take.”

 

Lena closed her eyes, and kissed the bare skin at Stef's chest.

 

“We'll be fine, right? All...” She blinked, trying to wrap her head around her next words, “Nine of us will be all right?”

 

Lena paused, “We are going to have _seven_ childr-”

 

Stef put a finger to Lena’s lips, “Shh, can we please not discuss that tonight? I don't need the headache.”

 

“Okay.” Lena slid her leg between Stef's, “But not tomorrow either, I have a really long day ahead of me.”

 

“And I'm going to work an extra shift because...”

 

“We need the money.” They both smirked.

 

Stef pulled a curl out from the back of Lena's bun, and twirled it around her finger in worry. Things were getting so complicated with their life and their family, and all Stef wanted to do was tell her wife what she was planning. But her plans were still up in the air, and getting Lena’s hopes up for no reason wasn’t an option for her. So she kept quiet, as Lena sighed contently against her chest.

 

“We'll be fine, Stef. All of us.” Lena’s voice was quiet as she started her descent into dreamland.

 

Stef breathed a sigh of relief, once again kissing Lena's forehead in gratitude. Lena always did know how to put her mind at ease.

 

Stef ran her free hand down Lena's side, and placed it back on her stomach, “We'll be fine.”

*********

 

Mercifully, early the next morning passed without any incident. Of course, Stef wasn't quite sure as to the _why_. She had been waiting with baited breath for the immanent shouting match between Jesus and Mariana, but both twins had been on their best behaviour from the moment they woke up on.

 

Stef had been temporarily worried as she’d pulled on her uniform. Voices had started to raise, and feet began stomping around, and the cop was sure the twins had every intention of reenacting the march on Gettysburg. But before Stef could even reach the knob on her bedroom door, she heard a series of hushes, and then a stampede of feet running down the stairs.

 

It felt very Twilight Zone-ish.

 

"'Morning, my babies." Stef called out as she walked into the kitchen.

 

There were a chorus of "Morning Mom" that greeted her. Stef briefly noted that Brandon was absent, but remembered it was Mariana’s turn for the first shower of the morning. Brandon always opted to go last, knowing full well that the hot water would have returned by that point.

 

Stef walked over, and squeezed Jude, "I hear you are the _bestest_ in the class. Congratulations, my prince."

 

The blonde proceeded to smother her youngest with kisses, chuckling as he giggled in response.

 

"Bestest isn't a proper word, Mom." Jude stuck his tongue out at Stef.

 

Stef couldn't help the teasing grin that spreads across her face, "You know what? You're right." She turns to her other children, "I tell ya, the genius on this boy..."

 

The five younger Fosters laugh at their goofy mother.

 

"How's Mama?" Jesus asked quietly.

 

Stef's grin was gone almost instantly, "She threw up twice last night."

 

The five teenagers -Jude was two months off, it still counted- shared a look, but kept quiet. What Stef didn't know wouldn't hurt her…

 

Callie was cautious with the next question, "Is she going in today?"

 

Lena gingerly walked into the room as she answered, "I have to. I am interviewing the last of the possible new art teachers today."

 

"How many do you have left?"

 

"Three, and if none of them take, I'm screwed."

 

Stef looked at her wife in concern, "How so?"

 

Lena eased into 'her' stool, her breathing slightly more laboured than usual, "Sanchez hated all of the others, and not just in her usual realm of hating everything."

 

"What do you mean?" Mariana asked.

 

"Apparently, Sanchez hates art.... And, by extension, art teachers."

 

Stef snagged a piece of toast off of Jesus's plate as she sat down.

 

"Oh, that sounds fun." Sarcasm was dripping off of Stef's every word.

 

Callie happened to look up in time to catch a grimace pass over Lena's face. As per usual, the curly-haired woman tried to cover it up. Lena moved her hair up into her trademark bun, using the movement to keep her facial expressions in check. Callie bit her lip to keep from commenting.

 

It was only as the woman started to noticeably pale that Callie got up, poured tea into a mug, then grabbed the box of saltines, and handed them to Lena.

 

"Thanks." Lena smiled in gratitude.

 

Mariana casually picked the conversation up again, "But after the interviews, you can come home, right?"

 

"I have to. The contractor is supposed to be coming today."

 

"So you're really getting an extension on the house?" Jude's big, curious eyes glanced between his moms in curiosity.

 

Stef answered first, “We're considering it.”

 

"Why can't the babies just go in Brandon's room? He's the only one not sharing." Jesus whined.

 

Brandon chose that exact moment to walk in, "What's going into my room?"

 

Callie's reply was immediate, "Lena and Stef's magic lady babies."

 

Stef smirked into her coffee.

 

"No, no, no!" Brandon throws Lena a pointed look, "You promised any baby you had would stay I'm YOUR room until it's big enough for a bed."

 

Stef blinked in surprise, "Whoa, what'd I miss?"

 

"Right, you never heard about this." The vice principal explained, "About a year or two after we adopted the twins, Brandon asked me where babies come from."

 

"He asked you?" Stef looked between Lena and Brandon in confusion.

 

"Well, yeah. He figured since I'm a teacher, and in his words, teachers know everything..."

 

The blonde faked insult, as she turned to her oldest child, "What happened to Mom knowing everything?"

 

"You totally do, it's just...." He shrugged, "It's _Lena_."

 

Lena had a hard time hiding her grin behind her tea.

 

Stef really couldn't argue his logic, "Fair enough."

 

"Okay, if you know EVERYTHING, what is..." Callie pulled a random question out of her head, "The mass and circumference of Jupiter?"

 

Lena didn't even hesitate, "The mass in scientific notation is about 1.9x1027kg, and the circumference is...” She pauses briefly to think, “around 272,946 miles."

 

They all gawked at her.

 

Brandon held his index finger up, "Wait! Let me check that...." He used his phone to check what she just said, "She's right."

 

Mariana grinned, "Okay, I'm game. How much was Marilyn Monroe's rhinestone dress, and how many stones were on it?"

 

"I know there were 6,000 stones." Lena bit her lip, "I think it was about 1.25 million?"

 

Their younger daughter pouted and grumbled, "1.26, but close enough."

 

Jesus jumped in, "Explain the Maori tattoos."

 

Stef quirked an eyebrow, "Why Jesus, are you planning a trip to New Zealand?"

 

He shrugged, "Some of the guys were talking about it yesterday. And you're interrupting."

 

Lena rolled her eyes, "Ta Mako is sacred tattooing form indigenous to the Maori. It's unique because the skin is carved and not punctured."

 

Jude shot her a cheeky grin, "What's my favourite colour?"

 

"Magenta. But if anyone at school asks, you say green."

 

Jude blushed slightly, but nodded.

 

"What human bones can withstand a ten story drop?" Stef couldn't help herself.

 

"The ossicles, which are the bones of the middle ear." Lena felt incredibly smug answering her wife, "They are the malleus, the incus and the stapes, so named for their shapes; the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup."

 

Stef flexed her jaw in annoyance. She had only just found that out the day before, "And on that note, I am going to work before I am made to feel any MORE stupid."

 

Stef leaned over, kissed Lena and rubbed her belly, before heading to the door.

 

"Bye, my babies."

 

Stef smiled brightly as her children called out, "Bye Mom!" as she walked out the door. The cop decided to take her good mood as a sign that a good day was ahead.

 

Of course, what she didn't know was that as soon as the door closed behind her, Lena bolted out of her seat, leaned over the sink, and took heaving breaths as she tried to fight off the urge to throw up.

 

Mariana frowned, "Mom's leaving later and later every day."

 

Lena shut her eyes tight as she hung her head over the sink, "I know she is."

 

"You won't be able to keep hiding it from her." Jesus wasn't making an accusation. He was just saying.

 

Lena tightened her grip on the counter, but she didn't speak.

 

"I don't understand why you don't just tell her." Brandon, however, was making an accusation, "She's your wife; the twins are just as much hers as they are yours."

 

Before anything else could be said, Lena retched into the sink. All five of her children just looked on miserably, knowing from experience that Lena felt guilty when they tried to help her. So they sat quietly at the table, and hoped for it to be over soon.

 

After a few minutes, the retching subsided. Jude hopped up from the table, poured cold water into a glass, and handed it to Lena. After a long gulp, Lena turned back to them, anguish painted all over her face.

 

"Stef's got a lot on her plate right now. I cannot and will not add to that over something that she can't do anything about." Lena kept one hand firmly on the counter for support.

 

"Yeah, but-"

 

"Brandon, I am begging you. Don't tell Mom." She wasn't feeling well enough to fight him on it.

 

They all turned their gazes to the table, hanging their heads as the weight of conflicting feelings washed over them.

 

"Fine." Everyone's heads snapped up to gape at Brandon, "But if it gets any worse, you need to come clean."

 

"I will." Lena forced herself to stand up straight, doing her best to look as normal as possible, "Now, hurry up. None of us can afford to be late today."

 

Brandon, Callie, Jesus, Mariana, and Jude reluctantly grabbed their stuff, and headed towards the door. Lena watched them go, before following along slowly, careful to hang onto anything she can as her head continued to spin.

******

 

Stef got out of her car, balancing a drink tray of coffees and a large box, with a doughnut in her mouth. As she walked towards the precinct completely concentrating on the food in her arms, she bumped into someone.

 

Stef didn't look up as she mumbled around the doughnut in her mouth, "Sorry."

 

Mike smiled, “It's okay.”

 

Stef's head shot up in surprise. Internal Affairs had come down hard on him after the shooting, even if they were justifiable in doing so. All in all, he had been relatively lucky. After three months on trial, he was given a six-month suspension. One that was, Stef noted, obviously up.

 

Stef carefully placed the coffees on top of the doughnut box, and balanced the food tower between her stomach and her left arm. She then used her free hand to remove the doughnut from her mouth.

 

“Mike....” Stef tried to find something, _anything_ to say, “You're back.”

 

Her ex-husband smiled weakly, “I am.”

 

“Oh.”

 

They stood together in an awkward silence. Stef took a bite out of her doughnut, hoping the gesture would last the appropriately uncomfortable length of time, before it was socially acceptable to make a hasty retreat.

 

“You know, you are singlehandedly reinforcing the stereotype.”

 

Or she could wait for him to make it even _more_ awkward.

 

The blonde paused mid-chew, “I beg your pardon?”

 

Mike gestured to the coffees and the doughnuts in her hand.

 

“Oh, right. It was my turn to get breakfast for the group, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.” Stef bit the inside of her cheek, _‘Note to self: never avoid cop stereotypes next time.’_

 

Assuming the conversation to be over, Stef continued her walk into the building, staling just enough for Mike to open the door for her.

 

Mike’s brow knit in confusion, “The group? What group?”

 

“Since you were suspended, Granger retired, and Sampson transferred, the Captain stuck five of us in a group. We rotate partners every other day.”

 

“You can't be serious!” He couldn’t begin to describe his disbelief, “How the hell are you supposed to build a rapport with the person who is supposed to have your back if you keep getting shuffled around like a deck of cards?!”

 

Stef shushed him, “There were three of us left without partners, and two rookies who ended up partnered together. The group made sense.”

 

“That's not how things _work_ , Stef. I-”

 

The blonde cut him off with a harsh whisper, “Need to shut the hell up.” She plastered on her biggest grin possible as they reached the group, “Good morning, my minions.”

 

Danielle Cleary had been on the job for eight months, and had been running on bravado for the first seven. It was after a domestic dispute gone wrong that she was humbled, “Good morning, Stef.”

 

In lieu of a response, Stef put everything down, happily finishing her doughnut in three bites.

 

Patrick Jeffries was a mentor of sorts to most in the precinct. He was as wise as he was old, and had been one hell of a cop from day one. “Is all that for us?”

 

“Nah, I thought I'd pack on another hundred pounds.” Stef smirked as she went for another creamy glazed heart attack waiting to happen, “Maybe try and catch up to Lena.”

 

“I am going to tell your wife you said that.” Captain Roberts chose that moment to walk up behind her, “And then I am going to be completely unsympathetic when she makes you sleep on the couch.”

 

Roberts reached into the box, and snagged a danish, before turning her attention to Mike.

 

“Welcome back, Foster.”

 

Mike’s smile was half-assed at best, “Thank you, Captain.”

 

Whether the Captain missed the gesture or chose to ignore it, no one could be certain, “I hope you don't mind if I steal him away from you.”

 

Stef was quick to wave it off, “Knock yourself out.”

 

Roberts led Mike back into her office, making a point of shutting the door behind them.

 

“So how is Lena? Has her morning sickness ended yet?” Andy Michaels was Stef’s favourite rookie to date. Tall, gangly and awkward-looking, you didn’t really expect much from him. But he had a brilliantly dark sense of humour, and was remarkably quick on his feet.

 

Stef suddenly found the desk in front of her very interesting, “It, uhh… seems to be getting better.”

 

Andy grinned at her, “Well, that's good!”

 

“Yeah... Yeah, it is.” Despite the smile on her face and no evidence to the contrary, Stef didn't believe the words she was saying.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The day seemed to drag on within the four walls of the vice principal's office at Anchor Beach Charter School. Two of three prospective teachers had been a bust. The first would have been lovely… if it weren't for the very obvious Miss Trunchbull impression she was giving off: all tight bun, and mean attitude. Even Sanchez had to admit she was a concern.

The second started out fine, until both principal and vice principal noticed his inability to stop talking. After almost two hours of nearly indiscernible babble, Lena had never been more grateful for two waves of morning sickness in her entire pregnancy to date.

An hour and one missed lunch later, Lena was sitting at her desk regretting her gratitude as she desperately tried to stave off another wave of nausea when there was a knock at her office door.

The curly-haired woman grumbled out something similar to 'come in'.

Timothy poked his head in, "You busy?"

Lena didn't bother to open her eyes, as she responded, "Not for another few minutes. What's up?"

Timothy opened his mouth, but then closed it as he took in her harrowed appearance. Lena was looking more and more pale, her body becoming noticeably weaker with every passing day. In Tim's opinion, it was downright heartbreaking.

He opened the door, and stepped into the room, "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look dreadful."

"Honestly, Tim?" She forced her eyes open, and sighed, "I feel dreadful."

"The joys of pregnancy not all they're cracked up to be?"

"Not so much, no."

Timothy hesitated before continuing. He and Lena had always been friendly, but he was never quite sure where their friendship stood. "The kids have been saying you're really sick..."

Lena nodded, "That I am. And you know, I thought it was easing up. I was sleeping at night, I could almost eat full meals... And then it came back."

Timothy shoots her a sympathetic look.

Lena winced. She did NOT want to start complaining. It would just be too easy for her to lose what little resolve she had left, "Sorry, I don't mean to unload on you."

Tim shot her a kind smile, "Don't worry about it. And my door is always open if you need to unload some more."

"Thanks," Lena shuffled files around to give the semblance on normalcy, "So, what can I do for you, Timothy?"

"Your last interview is here."

The exhausted woman glanced at the clock in surprise, "She's early. That's a very good sign."

The Brit could do nothing but nod.

"Do you know where Karina is?"

Tim was hesitant to answer, "Sanchez said she was going to go find a fork to gauge her eyes out, then she'd be in."

Lena rolled her eyes, "Wonderful. Karina finally develops a sense of humour, and she uses it against me."

Timothy chuckled.

Lena gestured to outside the door, "I'm going to assume you talked to her, so what is my last hope like?"

"Looks wise? She's a little out there."

"I do not need "out there". I need talent." Lena rubbed a hand over her forehead in frustration. As if she needed her day to be even longer.

"I never said she wasn't talented."

Lena looked up at him with hope radiating from her eyes.

"Granted, I've only seen one piece of her work, but it looks stellar." Timothy shrugged, "I would definitely consider her, out there or not."

"I will keep that in mind."

"She's also quite the world traveller."

"And Sanchez loves travelling. That's a point in her favour. " Lena paused before conceding, "Not a huge point, but it's still a point."

Timothy stepped out to grab the last of the applicants. Lena was slow to rise out of her chair, searching around for the possible candidate's resume as she moved. The woman breezed in as Lena was still looking, with Timothy following closely behind her.

Tim noted the candidate kept tugging on the hem of her blouse, silently giving away her discomfort in the obviously foreign clothing. Her skin was light brown, just one or two shades darker than Lena's, which was offset straight jet-black hair that fell to the middle of her back. What Tim himself found the most interesting, however, were the tattoos. Tribal designs and flowers started at her hand and snaked up her right forearm, to wrap around her elbow. The left arm had two solid black bands that he could see, the top of which was cut off by her sleeve. Timothy silently hoped this woman ended up getting the job; she clearly had quite the life story to tell.

"Wow, nice digs."

Upon hearing the new voice in her office, Lena's eyes widened, and she spun around. As both women's eyes meet, the unknown woman's jaw dropped.

"Holy shit. LENA?!"

Lena was stunned, "Nessa..."

Nessa grinned, ran up, and wrapped her arms around Lena's neck.

"What... What are you doing here?"

Timothy quietly took in the hug. The new woman seemed boldly attached to Lena, while the curly-haired woman was hesitantly reserved; awkward in a relaxed sort of way. The whole thing made Timothy groan in response.

"Please tell me she isn't an ex.." His comment was directed at Lena, but Nessa answered.

"Nope, I'm the baby sister."

"Baby sis-..." The Brit's brow knit in confusion, "And you didn't recognize her name from her resume?!"

Lena was still a little dazed, "I never actually got a chance to look at the resume..."

"She may not have recognized it anyways." Nessa shrugged, "I technically haven't gone by 'Vanessa' since I was seven years old."

Lena turned to her younger sister, "Didn't you legally change your name?"

"Yeah, but only after I graduated, so any time I mention my degree, I have to write Vanessa."

Nessa tilted her head towards Lena, and beamed at her. There was no one in the world she loved more than she did Lena. Her older sister was her idol, and more importantly her rock. Her entire reasoning for applying for jobs in San Diego was to be closer to her sister again. But actually working under her? Nessa had never thought she could get that lucky.

Timothy took the vibrant look as his cue to leave, "I've got a class to teach..."

Lena waved him off. She didn't mean to be rude about it, but her sister's reappearance sparked further inquiry, "Thanks, Timothy. Oh, and don't forget, we have a new student."

He nodded briefly at the women before heading off.

Nessa turned back to Lena, "So... Lena Foster?"

"Stef and I got married last year." The vice principal gestured for her to sit down.

Nessa's jaw dropped. She had spent more than her fair share of time off the grid. The art world was not something she took lightly, and her circling the globe for inspiration and furthered education had left the younger Adams woman with little time for interacting with her family. The last she had heard was in email from her father mentioning something about a man with a gun, and two new children in Lena and Stef's care.

Nessa sat down hard, letting her backpack fall to the floor next to her, "Tell. Me. Everything!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kelsey, Mariana and a newly returned Lexi were all crowded around the mirror in Mariana's locker, following their mid-afternoon ritual of fixing their appearance. They could not have boys seeing them at anything less than their very best.

"So I told him, 'I don't have sex with guys who have longer hair than I do.' I am not into that hippie thing." Kelsey flipped her hair back as she reapplied her lip-gloss.

Lexi's eyebrows shot up in amusement, "What did he say?"

"I have no idea. I walked away before he could comment."

The cavalier tone in her voice sent Lexi and Mariana into a round of giggles.

"I am so glad you have standards." Lexi plucked the lip-gloss from Kelsey's hand, and started in on her own lips. It was odd, despite their very different skin tones, the friends were always able to share lip wear. It was a gift.

"And I'm so glad you're back, Lexi." Mariana shot her best friend a wink through the reflection in the mirror.

Lexi smiled kindly at Mariana, "So am I."

"Ditto." Kelsey turned to Lexi, "By the way! You never told me, is Jesus as well hung as I think he is?"

Mariana didn't even hide her grimace, "Eww, okay that is disgusting!"

"For you, maybe. Your brother is sex on a stick."

Mariana shuddered, and faked a gag. She would probably never get over how all her friends seemed to have a thing for Jesus. He was weird; he always had his stupid skateboard, and his voice did that weird high-pitched, puberty thing sometimes. Plus, he was her brother.

As Mariana turned to tune out the conversation, she noticed a new girl walking up to the locker not too far away hers. The newbie was about as tall as Lexi, with a noticeable scar going from her left eyebrow down the side of her cheek in a curved line. Her dark hair fell out from underneath her beanie just past her shoulders, and rested on her tank top.

It was only as they noticed Mariana's unabashed stare, that Kelsey and Lexi turned around and spotted her.

Kelsey's eyes immediately widened in horror, "Oh my god, are those cargo pants?!"

Mariana fought off an eye twitch, "I'm still stuck on the ratty flip flops."

"Is she homeless?" Lexi's 'whisper' was less than quiet.

"You'd THINK they wouldn't let dirty, disgusting people in here. And yet..." Kelsey finished her comment with a gesture directed at the new girl. The girls understood her point.

The new girl chose that moment to stop placing her books in her new locker in order to turn on them.

"You'd think they wouldn't let useless wastes of space in here..." The girl sized them all up, as what they assumed to be an English accent clipped her words, "And yet here you are."

Kelsey's voice changed pitch as it raised in volume, "Excuse me?!"

"You're excused." The girl went back to what she was doing.

Kelsey took a step forward, obviously looking for a fight, but Mariana and Lexi dragged her away.

"She's not worth it, Kels." It didn't matter who her moms were, Mariana wasn't big on violence. And Kelsey was known for getting into fights.

As she and Lexi shoved Kelsey around the corner, Mariana glanced back to find the girl gone.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Captain Victoria Roberts could not find a harder worker than Stef Foster. Doing her paperwork, writing up incident reports, helping other officers out... She was a rock star.

But Stef really had no reason to be overworking. Captain Roberts had generously pushed to give her a pay bump when Stef and Lena had been trying for a baby, something that had not decreased again after they'd gotten pregnant.

The captain was well aware the blonde had told Lena and the kids that she needed to work longer hours because they needed the money. And when she left work on time every night to head to the library, she told her fellow cops it was because she had to study. In actuality, she was avoiding going home, whether she wanted to admit it, or not.

Roberts knew damn well that Stef was totally and completely prepared to write the detective's exam; she had been for years. The captain understood why the blonde refused to tell her family. It was a lot of pressure on an already stressful household. At home, Stef had five kids who always seemed to either be in trouble, or covering for each other. At home, she had a wife who was so sick, she could barely get up in the morning, despite her best efforts to hide it. Her home life made her feel more and more guilty by the minute, so Stef reverted back to her high school ways, and hid behind books and half truths for as long as possible.

Roberts watched intently as Stef stood up, and made her way over to the coffee maker for her fourth cup of the day. Roberts could sense a burnout raging within her officers weeks or sometimes months in advance, and the older woman was prepared to do everything in her power to stop it.

Roberts figured desperate times called for desperate measures, "Hey Mike?"

"Yeah boss?" He jogged over to her.

The Captain paused, grasping for any possible excuse as to why she called him over. Desperate times didn't necessarily mean a lengthy plan. In fact, her plan really only had the one phase, and she hoped her poker face was still up to par.

"Stef hauled in a drug dealer the other day named Desmond Henderson. Do you mind asking her if she's filled out that report?"

Mike eyed Roberts with intense curiosity, "Umm, sure. I guess."

She flashed him a quick smile, "Thanks."

He immediately headed over to Stef, and Roberts sighed in relief. Something was eating at Stef, and if anyone could get the truth out of her, it was Mike.

Mike sidled up to his ex, "Hey Stef, do you know where the Henderson file is?"

She didn't answer.

"Stef...?" He put a hand on her shoulder, only to pull back as she jumped a foot.

"Jesus Christ, Mike!"

"Sorry. I called out, but you didn't answer." Mike looked her up and down, "Where'd you go?"

Stef shoved a stack of papers into a file, and placed it onto the edge of her desk, before opening another file, "What do you mean?"

"You're kind of out of it."

"I'm busy."

Mike leaned his hands on the back of an empty chair, "I didn't realize reports take up all your attention."

Stef rolled her eyes, "I have to write up two drug busts, and a hit-and-run by the end of the day. That takes priority over your need for attention."

"Oh come on, Stef." He glanced around before helping himself to the empty seat, "You've gotta lighten up a little."

"I really don't have the time to lighten up."

He eyed her suspiciously, "What's up with you?"

"Hmm?" She stopped writing long enough to glance up at him, "What are you talking about?"

"You're acting weird."

The blond shot him a look, "I'm always weird."

"That's true, but weirder than usual." Mike leaned forward in concern, "Is this about Brandon?"

Stef looked up sharply, "What? No! It has nothing to do with Brandon."

Mike sighed in relief, before nodding slowly, "Then it's about Lena."

The blonde clenched her jaw, and kept writing up her report, "That is none of your business."

Mike did his best to hide his smirk, "So it is Lena. What'd she do?"

"Nothing, she's perfect as always."

"But you're only ever this distracted when it's about things at home, meaning Brandon or Lena."

Stef was quick to correct him, "You always seem to forget there are now nine of us in the house, and not just Brandon, Lena and me."

Two very furry eyebrows knitted in confusion, "Nine? What do you mean nine?! Please tell me Lena didn't bring home another couple strays..."

Stef's pen stalled. When Brandon had stopped speaking to his father and Mike was suspended, Stef basically lost all contact with her ex-husband. She completely forgot that he didn't know about the impending changes to her family.

"Actually, Lena's pregnant..." She bit her lip, "With twins."

Mike stared at her for a full minute, before erupting with laughter.

It took him a lot longer than expected to calm down again, "That's a good one, Stef. Are you fostering again, or did you finally convince her to get those dogs you wanted?"

Stef frowned deeply, and started again. Apparently Denial really wasn't just a river in Egypt…

"Mike..."

It was only then that he really took in her facial expression and her body language. Honesty, and a great deal of guilt was written all over her entire being, and he knew she wasn't kidding.

"Wow, that woman is something else." The older cop couldn't hide the edge of disgust in his voice, "And I thought the whole foster thing was bad, but going out and getting pregnant is just a whole new-"

Stef's voice was barely above a whisper, "It was my idea."

Mike's jaw dropped, "YOU'RE idea?!"

The blonde took a deep breath before she answered him. Their relationship had finally come to a sort of truce, and she did not want to send it careening back into the dark ages, "We considered having another child, and I thought Lena giving birth would be amazing."

Mike's eyes bore holes into Stef, "How long?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How long has Lena been pregnant?!"

Stef pinched the bridge of her nose. As if she needed a headache on top of everything else, "She's seventeen weeks along."

Mike leaned back in the chair as he took it all in. In the span of eleven years, Lena had managed to take everything he had ever wanted in life away from him. And now she was pregnant with kids that, in his mind, might have been his and Stef's. Life really did suck sometimes.

After long, drawn out minutes of silence, Mike forced himself to stand, "Well, thanks so much for telling me."

He stormed off, nearly bowling over a couple rookies as he went.

Stef rubbed her hands over her face, and sighed. The blonde proceeded to spend the next twenty minutes making a valiant effort to pretend she was actually doing work, before she chucked her pen across her desk in frustration. Eventually, Stef got up and disappeared around a corner beyond Roberts's line of sight.

Well, that plan had backfired.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lena walked back into her office looking a great deal paler than usual. She was counting her lucky stars; she had spent the last few trips to the bathroom throwing up everything in her stomach, so she had mostly been bringing up bile at that point. It certainly didn't stop her from feeling lightheaded, and so she made sure to take slow, careful steps as she walked back to her seat.

"Sorry about that."

Sanchez waved her off, "That's no problem. I was getting to know Vanessa a little better."

Lena bit her lip in amusement as Nessa cringed upon hearing her full name. Nessa had been the younger woman's nickname since she was four years old, and suited her quite well. 'Vanessa', however, meant trouble. It was the name that was usually screeched whenever she did something she shouldn't have, and almost always by their mother. It was just another nail in the coffin of Dana and Nessa's relationship.

Lena placed a hand low on her belly as she eased back down onto her couch, "So, where were we?"

"I was just telling Vanessa that I like to call references prior to meeting each applicant. It gives me a better understanding of what to expect." Sanchez leaned back in her chair, and meets Nessa's gaze, "The word 'genius' was mentioned more than once in reference to you."

Lena beamed at her sister.

Sanchez wasn't so quick to show praise, "As a result, I am expecting you to wow me."

Within an instant, Nessa's demeanour changed from young and playful, to serious and professional. Sanchez mentally noted that that this version of Nessa was a lot like Lena.

"I graduated top of my class at Stanford with a Masters of Fine Arts in Art Practice. I excel in most visual art mediums; anything from painting and drawing, to sculpting, to more recently, photography."

Sanchez quirked an eyebrow, "Favourite art style?"

"Surrealism." The twenty-eight year old anticipated Sanchez's next question before she can even open her mouth, "I'm sure many of the other applicants prefer realism or Impressionism, but I enjoy creating art that matches my mood at the time. Most of it is a combination of how I see the world, and how I imagine it, which is why surrealism is my favourite."

Lena took that moment to interject.

"May we see your portfolio?"

Nessa reached into her bag, and pulled out a portfolio case and a sketchpad, and handed them both to Sanchez, and let her pass one to Lena.

Nessa sat quietly and watched them scrutinize each piece. She spent less time on her sister, knowing that Lena had always been the biggest supporter of her art since she was seven years old. Instead, she watched Sanchez. The older woman held an impassive, yet stern look on her face as she looked over the art.

Lena reached out to exchange books with her superior, "What would you teach the students? And how would you go about doing it?"

"I would start with the more free form art forms for the younger students, moving to the more specific and complex with the older grades." Nessa absentmindedly traced the flower tattooed on her wrist.

"And why would you do that?" It was rare for Lena to see this side of her sister. She was actually quite curious about her reasoning.

"In my experience, younger children have a shorter attention span, with a broader realm of creativity; I know I did."

Nessa and Lena shared a smile.

"Starting with expressionism for the earlier grades gives the students a cathartic outlet for things that they can't or don't know how to express." Nessa pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, "The older students generally have greater concentration and control."

Lena turned to look at Sanchez, who scrutinized Nessa for a long while.

Karina levelled Nessa with a look, "I expect to see you first thing tomorrow to go over your course syllabus."

Two pairs of brown eyes widened in surprise, "Wait... I got the job?"

"Unless Lena has any objections…" She gave Lena a questioning look.

Lena was quick to reply, "No, I don't."

"Good." She turned back to Nessa with what could almost be construed as a smile, "You have impressed me, Ms. Adams. I cannot say that happens very often."

Sanchez stood stiffly, and offered Nessa her hand, which Nessa quickly shook.

"I look forward to having you on my team, Vanessa."

The younger woman grinned, "Thank you so much."

Sanchez nodded, and turned to Lena, "I have another meeting to get to. Would you mind giving Vanessa a tour of the school? Possibly show her her new classroom."

Lena let her sister pull her to standing, "Of course."

The principal nodded at the both of them, and walked out. The girls waited ten seconds before grinning at each other, and rushing into a hug. After ten years of minimal contact, they were going to be working together.

"I am so proud of you." Lena planted a kiss on her baby sister's temple.

Nessa pulled back, and gave her sister a watery smile, "For real?"

"Definitely." She took her hand, and pulled her sister towards the door, "Come on. You will love the art room."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Let's discuss gender roles." Timothy turned to write on the chalkboard, "What are the roles of men, especially if we look at sympathetic characters of Odysseus and Telemachus? And what are the different roles women play in The Odyssey?"

Mariana muttered a response as she doodled in her notebook, "Woman had no role. They were always "causing problems". Women were either seen as a huge, if not deadly distraction to the men..."

Another voice finished her thought, "Or they are glorified body slaves; there so the men could shag them... Or think about shagging them."

Mariana stifled a laugh, before taking in who had made the comment: The new girl.

Timothy droned on, "Tonight, I would like you to pick a character, and rewrite their part using modern gender roles and norms."

"Yeah, but if we do that, there will be no bloody difference." The new girl huffed. "Odysseus would still be having it off with every single woman he meets, and all the women would still be 'dangerous'"

Mariana rolled her eyes, "Why are all your answers about sex?"

"Odysseus and I have something in common." The scar-faced girl turned, and gave Mariana a cheeky grin, "We both like sex."

Mariana rolled her eyes again. That's all anyone ever talked about these days, and it was getting on her last nerve.

The new girl tilting her head in interest, "What, don't you?"

Mariana shrugged, "I've never done it."

"Fair enough."

They sat in silence as Timothy continued to talk.

"So..." Small talk with new people was never Mariana's forte, "What's your name?"

"I'm Lisa." She reached over, and shook Mariana's hand, "And you are...?"

"Mariana."

Of course, her brother chose that exact moment to speak up.

"Shut up, Mariana!" Jesus glared at her, "Some of us are trying to concentrate."

Mariana sneered back, "Shut up yourself, Jesus!"

He scowled, and turned back around in a huff. Mariana turned back to Lisa, only to find her smirking.

"What?!"

"Is he your boyfriend, or..."

Mariana fought the urge to hurl, "Eww, no. He's my brother."

Lisa glanced between Mariana and Jesus for a second, as if to study them.

"You're twins."

The petite Latina couldn't help but smile at that, "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I have twin brothers." Lisa muttered bitterly, "Menaces, the both of them."

Mariana giggled. She could definitely relate to annoying brothers. She had two of them. Jude was the only boy in her family that she actually liked. Before she could get too lost in thought over her family, Mariana happened to glance up and out the window, and grinned.

She tried to inconspicuously nudge Lisa as she pointed out the window, "You see that woman who is about to walk past the door?"

The new girl glanced up to find two incredibly attractive women in the hall. The first she recognized as the vice principal, having met her almost as soon as she walked in the school. The woman with her shared in her beauty, but in a more carefree manner.

"Which one?"

"The one with the curls."

Lisa nodded along, "Ah, okay. What about her?"

"That's one of my moms."

It was as if Lena heard her. Her stride slowed, and she turned to look directly at her daughter. Mariana waved at her mom, which resulted in Lena stopping, putting her hands on her hips, and giving Mariana a half-assed stern look. Mariana made a flourished point of writing, then stuck her tongue out at Lena. Lena laughed, winked at her, then blew her a kiss and walked off.

"Isn't she the vice principal?"

Mariana nodded.

Lisa smirked, "I didn't realize she is a polygamist."

Mari screeched in horror, "WHAT?!"

The whole class turned to look at her.

Mari gave a sheepish look as she searched for an excuse, "Sorry, I was reading ahead..."

Tim gave her a half smile, "That's quite all right. But next time, would you mind keeping your exclamations at a quieter pitch?"

Mariana nodded and sunk further into her seat, "Yes, sir."

He continued his lesson as if he hadn't been interrupted, which brought everyone's attention back to the front. Mariana glanced beside her to find Lisa with her book standing up on the desk, shamelessly laughing behind it. Mariana glared at her, before she reached over and smacked her shoulder.

"My moms are lesbians, not polygamists!" Mariana hissed.

The teenaged Brit could not stop laughing, "Yeah, I figured as much. I just really wanted to see your reaction to that."

Mariana hit her again, but smiled as she did so. If she was honest, it was pretty funny. And it certainly made the last few minutes of class more interesting.

Mariana turned to ask the newcomer a question at the exact moment that Timothy decided to dismiss the class.

It was as if Lisa had read her mind, "Hey, do you wanna go grab a bite?"

Mari slowly and neatly packed up her stuff, "I don't really drink tea."

"Whoa, hang on!" Lisa looked confused, "No one said anything about tea."

"But you're English, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point. I asked if you wanted a bite, not if you wanted tea." She shrugged, "But if you don't want to, I could-"

Mariana cut her off, "I want to! But, can I pick the place?"

"Only if you don't want to get lost."

Mariana shoots her a questioning look as they walk out the door of the classroom. The new girl was getting weirder by the second; something that Mariana couldn't deny was growing on her.

"I moved here a week ago, and I have absolutely no idea where anything is."

She smiled up at her, "Then, yes. I will pick the place."

"Brilliant."

They grabbed what they needed out of their lockers, and Mariana stalled.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Lisa grinned as she teased her, "I think you just did."

Mariana rolled her eyes again, "Not including that last one."

"In that case, certainly."

Mariana closed her locker, and they headed out of the school, "Why were you so mean to me and my friends before?"

"Technically, your friends were mean to me first."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Mariana ducked her head in guilt.

"No worries." Lisa could see another question forming behind her eyes, and hazarded a guess as to what it was, "You're wondering why I am being nice to you now."

"Yeah, I am."

"Your friends seem very superficial. Judging people based on what they wear is a miserable way to treat people. " She bumped shoulders with Mariana, "You, despite dressing like them, and acting like them, don't strike me like that."

"Thanks."

The rest of their conversation was cut off as Jude jogged up to them, with concern and panic written all over his face.

"Mariana, are you grabbing a ride home? Because I wanted Connor to come over, and-" The poor kid didn't seem to stop for a breath between the running and his talking.

"Actually, I was gonna hang out with Lisa..." She gestured to her.

Jude cocked his head, as he gazed up at Lisa with great interest. The other girl was taller than his foster sister, with a powerful look about her. She kind of reminded him of a mix between Scar from 'The Lion King', and Spinelli from a show called 'Recess' that he used to sneak off and watch before he and Callie were put in the system.

The twelve year old shot her a shy but polite smile, "Hi Lisa, I'm Jude."

Lisa returned the smile. The boy was too cute, "Pleasure to meet you."

Mariana's brow knit in confusion, "Hang on. What about Mama? With her in the car, it's still one too many."

Jude shook his head, "Mom needed to get away from work, so she left early to meet the contractor guys, which means Mama is staying longer to finish all her paperwork. Brandon will drive back and pick her up later."

"Makes sense." She glanced at Lisa briefly, "Go ahead and invite Connor over. I will see you later, 'kay buddy?"

He beamed at her, "Okay!"

Jude hugged her tight, then dashed off.

Lisa could do nothing but watch him go in amusement, "I take it he's your little brother?"

"Unofficially, yes."

Lisa shot her a curious look, "What do you mean?"

Mari shook her head as they continue walking, "Long freaking story."

"I don't have anywhere to be for hours if you feel like sharing."

The smaller girl glanced around suspiciously, "Not here. Maybe when we find a good place to eat."

"All right." Lisa changed the subject, "So what do I need to know bout living in America?"

Mariana said the first thing she thought of, "You can't legally drink until you're 21."

Lisa's immediate grin was downright conniving, "Oh darling, what gave you the impression that anything I do is legal?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Mariana could see Lexi and Kelsey waving her over. The girls had planned to go shopping, looking for perfect outfits to wear to a party that weekend. Kelsey, naturally, had gone fishing for an invite, making sure to emphasize her need for her posse to join her. Kelsey hadn't even waited for the go-ahead before forcing a change of wardrobe upon her best friends.

Mariana pointedly looked at her friends, before turning back to Lisa. She felt guilty for the lack of guilt she felt over ditching them, but she refused to think on that. She had more important things to think about.

"I do believe this is the start of a wonderful friendship."

Mariana hooked her arm with Lisa's, and led her away from the school, leaving a stunned behind Lexi and Kelsey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you all enjoyed it (and that it was worth the wait!)


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter 3

"You're up early."

Stef walked in the kitchen after a long, restless night. She had gotten home later than she had hoped, and ended up crashing on the couch, too exhausted to even make it up the stairs. But no matter how tired she was, the sight of Lena sitting at the kitchen table made her exhaustion disappear.

Lena looked up, and smiled at her wife, "So are you."

The blonde sauntered up to her, "Only because I missed you."

Lena smiled, the grin only getting wider as Stef leaned down and kissed her soundly.

Stef stroked her cheek, "How are you feeling, love?"

The blonde watched as the smile that had graced her wife's face immediately turned into a frown. While Stef had been tossing and turning downstairs, Lena had spent most of her night leaning over the toilet, feeling too sick to risk actually getting into bed.

Stef sat down in her spot next to Lena, grasping her darker hand in her own, "Why didn't you wake me?"

Lena shook her head, "One of us needs sleep." She winked at her wife, "You can just owe me, and change all the diapers."

The blonde chuckled, "Yeah, I can do that."

They leaned over, and kissed each other again. Stef had been quick to discover that, despite her near-constant morning sickness, her pregnant wife loved to be kissed. The first ten weeks had been hard; Lena spent most of her time throwing up, and had lost weight she could ill-afford to lose.

After one long day at work, Stef had come home to find Lena curled on their bed, with Brandon quietly holding onto her hand as he sat next to her. While the resulting conversation had broken her heart, the blonde learned that physical contact helped soothe the other woman.

Lena later confessed that nothing compared to being kissed by her wife, a feeling Stef had been more than willing to cater to.

As Lena pulled back, the blonde hummed in protest, "Not enough." She reached out and pulled Lena towards her, "Come here, love."

Lena pushed a wayward curl out of her face, as she moved to stand between Stef's legs, "I really don't think these stools were meant to hold our combined weight."

"They could use the workout." Stef grabbed her hips, and pulled Lena onto her lap.

Lena made a show of pretending to think about it.

The brunette leaned down, and brushed her lips against Stef's, "Research has shown a good workout IS beneficial to long life."

"Can't argue with research."

"Nope."

Stef cupped the back of Lena's neck, and led her into another kiss.

They didn't get very much further than that before Lena's phone rang, startling them both. 

Lena glanced at the screen, rolling her eyes as she answered, "What part of ‘just come over’ was lost on you?"

Stef shot her a questioning look, but Lena waved her off, and mouthed, 'Later'.

Over the phone, Nessa whined into her sister's ear, "I want chocolate chip pancakes."

"I am very happy for you." Lena deadpanned.

That comment only made Nessa whine more, "Leelee! I want you to make them for me!"

Lena rolled her eyes at the nickname, "We don't have chocolate chips here."

"I know that, which is why I went to the store to buy some. I'll be there in five minutes, and I was hoping you'd want to start the batter." The younger Adams sister acted as thought that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I haven't even said I will make them yet! Besides, I'm way too comfortable on Stef's lap right now."

Stef grinned, and aimed a kiss at her jaw.

"But you love me, and I-" Nessa cuts herself off mid-sentence, "Hold up. You're sitting on Stef's lap right now? Kinky."

Lena rolled her eyes again at both Nessa, and Stef's smirk, "Yes. I love my wife, and I love to appreciate her. Is that a problem?"

Stef shook her head vigorously, "Nope!"

Lena used her free hand to cup Stef's cheek, and bring her in for a kiss.

Nessa gagged into the phone, "I hate you and your cuteness."

Lena didn't hear her. Stef deepened the kiss, rubbing small circles on Lena's thighs with her thumbs, and Lena gently tossed her cellphone on the table beside them. Fully making out was risky with Lena's nausea, but so far, tender, passionate kisses had never been a problem. Stef tugged Lena's bottom lip between her teeth as there was a loud knock at the front door.

Stef groaned, and hid her face on Lena's chest, "It's been a year. I'm thinking it's time for that honeymoon. How does today sound?"

Lena laughed, as she pulled away from her wife, "I have a million things to do today, how about tomorrow?"

Stef gently nipped at Lena's clavicle, before Lena got off her lap.

"Fine, but I want that in writing."

"Deal." She offered her hand to Stef, and dragged her towards the front door, "Come on, I really want you to see this."

As they reached the door, Lena didn't hesitate to pull the front door open, stepping aside as Nessa walked in.

The youngest woman was already talking as she stepped over the threshold, "Okay, can I just say, I do NOT like getting up this early. In fact, I didn't even know six am EXISTED until this morning."

"You're such a drama queen." Lena poked her sister in the side, as she leaned over to kiss her cheek, "You were the one who wanted to ‘practice for Monday morning’."

It's only then that Nessa noticed a slightly awestruck Stef.

"Hey, Stef! How are you?"

She bounded over, and hugged her sister-in-law. Stef just stood there, her arms hanging limply at her sides, as she tried to figure out what was happening.

Nessa took a step back to look Stef over, "Wow, you haven't changed in like, ten years! That's impressive."

Stef shot Lena a blank look, causing Lena to stifle a laugh. She was well aware Stef didn't recognize her sister.

Seeing that her wife going to be no help, the blonde cautiously asked, "I'm sorry, how do we...?"

It was in that moment that it clicked. Nessa glanced at Lena in amusement.

"She doesn't recognize me, does she?" She turned back to Stef, "Imagine me with glasses, braces, curl my hair, and picture a giant art book in my hands."

It took a while. That was a lot of instruction to give the blonde before her first cup of coffee, but within a minute, Stef's jaw dropped. 

"Oh. My. God, Nessa?!"

Nessa grinned, "You're getting slow in your old age."

"Shut up." The blonde dragged her back into a bear hug, "I haven't seen you in forever!"

Nessa just hugged her tighter.

Stef turned to fake a glare at Lena, "This is who you were talking to on the phone. I was so confused.."

Lena walked over, and took Stef's hand, "She wanted to surprise you."

"Well, it worked!" She slung her arm around Nessa's neck, and pulled her and Lena towards the kitchen, "So tell me about your travels..."  
* * * * * * * * *

 

Less than an hour later, all five kids sat around the table, staring at Nessa in shock. They had been drawn out of their beds by the smell of pancakes, only to find a strange woman talking and laughing with their moms.

Mariana was the first to recover. She had, after all, seen Nessa with her mom the day before, "So, wait. We have an aunt?!"

Stef nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

Brandon looked frantically between his two moms, "Why haven't I met her before?"

He was their first child. If anyone were to know about long-lost siblings, it should have been him.

Lena thought about it before she responded, "When I first started dating Mom, Nessa was a senior in high school, and she was, for lack of a better term, a handful."

Nessa took a flourished bow, "Why thank you."

Jude and Mariana giggled.

Lena glanced over at the table from her place at the stove, "The day I was going to introduce her to you, I found a note in my room saying, ‘I am taking Bilbo Baggins's advice, and I am going on an adventure. I'm not sure if I will find the one ring, defeat a dragon, or just find out who I am, but I will call you when something happens.’ And then she was gone."

Nessa ducked her head in guilt. If there was one thing she regretted most, it was not properly saying goodbye to Lena.

"Why didn't we meet you why you came back?" Jesus narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"You just did." Nessa was quick to clarify, "I got back a little over a week ago."

Callie quickly did the math in her head, "You just upped and left for over ten years? Why?"

"One day I woke up and realized I had no idea who I was, so I decided to change that. I wasn't running away from anything or anyone, I was just..." She hesitated, "Finding myself."

They sat in silence.

"Do you know who you are now?"

Nessa smiled at her youngest nephew, "I think I do, yes."

Jude smiled back, as he held out his hand, "Then it's nice to meet you, Aunt Nessa."

Nessa shook his hand, "Nice to meet you too."

Mariana's eyes got comically wide, "Is that a tattoo?!"

Nessa glanced down at the flower designed on the back of her wrist, and then over at her sister, "Can I show them?"

Lena shrugged, "Go ahead."

Nessa stood up, and shrugged off her jacket, causing everyone to gasp in surprise. Dark lines danced all over her skin, painting intricate designs that started from her hands, went up her arms, and down her back.

Suddenly, the room was animated. Every one of the kids jumped up to examine their aunt's personal body art, absolutely enraptured by the stories each piece held. Stef took that moment to slid off her stool, and went to stand next to Lena as she stacked another three pancakes on a platter.

"She's added a few since the last time we talked." Lena glanced at the large inverted cross that covered most of her sister's back, "Mom's going to kill her."

Stef could only imagine. Dana had had a few choice words for her when she discovered the crescent moon and star on her ankle. Lena still hadn't worked up the nerve to tell her about the word 'equality' she had scrawled on her side, the end of the 'y' curling just under her right breast.

"I love that they're meaningful, though." Lena poured the last of the pancake batter into her frying pan, "There are reasons behind her ink, and each tat marks something important to her."

As her wife spoke, Stef couldn't help but stare.

Lena tilted her head under Stef's gaze, "What?"

"You and her." She smiled "I've never seen this side of you."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you interact with her. Sister Lena is very different from Mama Lena."

Lena smirked, "Yeah, sister Lena has to worry twice as much."

Stef laughed, but sobers quickly.

"What I mean is, you seem more relaxed with her; more comfortable."

Lena suddenly found her half-finished pancakes to be fascinating.

"Nessa's known me all her life. She was around before..." The brunette trailed off.

Stef knitted her brow, "Before what?"

Lena shook her head, as she switched off the burner, "Before I grew up."  
* * * * * * * * *

It didn't take Brandon much effort to find Callie sitting under the tree as the afternoon wore on. After hours of eating, and storytelling, most of the teenagers had disappeared into their rooms, giving the adults ("old people", if you asked Jesus) a chance to relax, and talk without the need to censor themselves.

The entire Foster clan had been quick to discover most of Nessa's stories were more than a little raunchy, and had led to Lena's slamming her hand onto her younger sister's mouth to keep from continuing. Of course, those had been the most interesting tales, and the kids and made an unspoken vow to ask her about them when their moms weren't around. 

"What do you think about Lena's sister?"

Callie stopped strumming her guitar, as she looked up at Brandon in surprise.

"I really like her." Callie played with the guitar on her lap, "She's lived and experienced so much, and she's not that much older than we are."

Brandon gave her a half smile as he sat down beside her, "Yeah, I liked all her stories about her many love interests."

"You mean the ones we only half-heard?" She laughed, "She's kind of crazy."

Brandon nodded, "And nothing like Lena."

Callie put the guitar down beside her, "I don't know. They seemed a lot alike to me." She shrugged, "But maybe that's because she hasn't been my mom as long as she's been yours."

They both go quiet. 

"You know technically, she's not either of our moms." He makes a point of clarifying before she can comment, "I mean, she's my stepmom. And you..."

"Brandon, don't."

"Don't what?!" Brandon did his best to hide the irritation in his voice, "We broke up because you wanted a family, and I moved out to give you space. But it's been almost a year, Callie. My feelings for you haven't gone away, and you keep avoiding making a decision."

After a year of having the same discussion, Callie caught the change in his voice, "It's not that simple, Brandon."

That was normally where the argument ended. Either he would get frustrated and storm off, or they would both stew in silence until someone or something distracted them.

Instead, Brandon made the choice to move the conversation along.

"Yeah, it is!" He stood up, towering over her as he spoke, "Do you love me, or not?!"

"Honestly, Brandon? I'm not sure anymore."

Brandon clenched his jaw. He'd waited a whole damn year, and she wasn't sure.

"Well, let me know when you figure it out."

He stormed off, making sure to let the kitchen door slam as he stomped past his moms and his aunt as they continued to sit around the kitchen table.

Stef watched him walk by in shock, "Whoa, Brandon! Where's the fire?"

"I'm going to Nick's." He threw his next comment over his shoulder, as he punched a text into his phone, "Is that cool with you, Mom?"

"Don't you snap at me, young man, or you won't be going anywhere!"

"Whatever." He grumbled, and kept going up the stairs.

The blonde pointing after his retreating form, "What the hell was that all about?!"

Lena lowered her head onto her hands as she answered, "He's a teenager, Stef. They get in moods for no good reason."

"That doesn't change the fac-"

Nessa cut her off, "Are you okay, Lena?"

Lena shook her head slightly, "I don't feel well."

Stef and Nessa shot each other a look over her head. If they were honest, she didn't look well either. She had picked at her food all morning, more than happy to let Jesus finish everything on her plate so she could give up the pretence of eating. And things had only gotten worse as the day wore on. Despite being relatively animated during the conversation, both wife and sister had noticed she looked more and more pale as time wore on.

Stef started rubbing her back, "Do you want to lie down on the couch?"

The three women vaguely acknowledged the sound of the front door slamming shut.

Lena started to breathe harder as bile rose to her throat, "No, I need to go to bed. I can't-"

She heaved, her body warming up for another round of sickness. Stef and Nessa jumped up from their seats immediately.

"Okay, bed it is." 

They carefully helped Lena upstairs, both becoming more and more worried as time went on.

Outside, Callie watched them go, before she snuck back into the house, and curled up in the nook in the kitchen.

"Like this day could get any worse."  
* * * * * * * * *

Brandon didn't even make it up the front steps, before Talya's front door swung open.

"Waiting at the door for me? How chivalrous." He couldn't help but joke, as he stepped into her house.

"Well, one of us has to be."

Brandon nodded, "Fair enough."

The walk up to her room was decently silent, as Brandon took in the changes that had been made to her household: a new chair here, a different coffee table there, and at least two of the walls had been repainted a new colour. But those were the perks of having an interior decorator for a mother.

At least Talya's room hadn't changed. She still had her fifty-six pillows thrown everywhere (He had counted once), and clothes bulging out of her closet and her drawers. Candles were still lined along both windowsills, and the whole room still smelt faintly of vanilla. The only difference was that the picture of him had disappeared from her vanity mirror.

"I was surprised you called me." Talya broke the silence as she curled up on her chair.

"Yeah, well, I needed to get away from..." He pauses, as he stiffly sits on the edge of her bed. "Everything."

"You mean Callie."

He snapped at her, "I mean everything!"

Talya just raised her eyebrows at him. Everyone at school talked about his mood swings. He could go from happy to pissed to .2 seconds, and it was weirding everyone out. He started distancing himself from the few friends he had, and spent all his free time alone in the music room.

It had taken her less time to track his change in behaviour back to Callie's return, that it did for her to do her makeup every morning.

Brandon sighed, "Sorry I flipped at you."

Talya shrugged. That was nothing compared to some of the other guys she spent time with. "Don't worry about it."

More awkward silence followed. After a few minutes, Brandon opted for small talk.

"So.... How's school going?"

Talya had to laugh. His social skills were terrible.

"Wow. That's the best you could come up with?!"

Brandon chuckled along with her, "Okay, that was bad. Can I try again?"

She motioned for him to do just that.

"All right, umm..." He thought about it what to say, "I've missed you."

Talya softened at the comment, "Yeah, I've missed you too."

Brandon looked astonished, and quite happy at that.

Her next comment took the wind right out of him.

"I miss you, but We're not good together, Brandon."

He frowned deeply. Even though he wasn't interested in dating her anymore, the words still stung. Hadn't she had fun while dating him?

Talya shrugged, oblivious to his inner confusion, "The fact that you called me because you were pissed off at Callie just proves that."

Brandon was quick to protest, "That's no-..."

The strawberry blonde rolled her eyes, "Don't bother. I'm not as stupid as everyone thinks I am."

Brandon ducked his head in shame. Okay, so she did have a point.

"You two still haven't gotten together,” Talya narrowed her eyes at him, "Does she not love you?"

Brandon was up and stomping around her room in an instant, causing Talya to jump in surprise. 

'So love is his berserk button.' She mentally catalogued that information, 'Good to know.'

"I don't know!" Apparently the more he walked, the angrier he got, "She said she did after my grandfather died, but now..."

Talya briefly worried about the damage he was doing to her floorboards, but brushed the thought away, "Do you still... love her?"

He paused mid-stride for a full ten seconds, before continuing.

"Of course I do."

"You hesitated."

Brandon wheeled around to face her, "So what?!"

She shrugged again, "If you have to think about it..."

He raised his voice again, "I didn't come here to think about it!"

That got her attention, "Didn't you?"

The question hung in the air between them. He had told his mom he was going to Nick's, but he had texted Talya. He could have gone to his dad's. Or the batting cages, or anywhere, but he walked over to her house without a second thought. 

She slowly repeated herself, "Didn't you?"

He knew the answer.

"No." Brandon reached out, and pulled her to stand in front of him, "I don't want to think about Callie. I don't want to think about anything right now."

Talya hesitated for a moment before she stepped up to him, and kissed him.

"Then don't think."

"Wasn't planning on it." He pulled her into a deeper kiss, letting his worries fall away.

Their kiss continued to get more heated, and soon Talya was reaching up, and pulling his shirt over his head.

"Talya, should we really... I don't have anything." Maybe not all his worries had disappeared.

"It's just sex." She starts to take off her own shirt, "And you know I'm on the pill."

She dragged him in for another kiss.

" Yeah, you're right. It's just sex."

They fell back onto her bed, throwing the last of their clothes on the floor, as they stopped thinking.  
* * * * * * * * *

"You should know, sneaking ONTO school property on a SATURDAY is not my idea of fun."

Jesus opened his eye to see Emma standing over him.

Jesus smiled up at her from his spot on the sand, "You owe me one, remember?"

Emma threw her bag underneath the volleyball net, "How could I forget? You haven't stopped bugging me since you got me out of that date."

Jesus couldn't help but smirk as he corrected her.

"I think you mean, ‘epically humiliating date with the biggest dweeb of creation’."

Emma stuck her tongue out at him, before pulling him to his feet, "Yeah, yeah. What do you need, doofus?"

His answer was immediate, "Arm Drag."

"Nope." With that, she turned and started to walk away.

"Emma, Emma!!" He chased after her, and gently grabbed her arm, "You promised!"

She turned on him in a second, "I promised to help you with your moves, but not that."

"Why not?! You know it could really help my takedowns."

"You screw it up every single time you try it." Emma pointed an accusing finger at him, "There is NO WAY I'm going to risk you breaking yourself... Again."

"Come on!" He gave her his absolute best pout, "You are the best at it. If anyone can teach me, it would be you."

Emma seemed to consider it for a second, before her brain caught up to what was happening.

"No, I am not falling for your stupid compliments, and that stupid pout. No way, Jose."

He couldn't help himself, "Actually, it's Jesus."

She picked up her bag, and started to walk off. Jesus groaned as he weighed his options in his head, before showing his final card.

"I'll be your date to your brother's wedding!"

Emma came to a screeching halt, but didn't turn back around, "What was that?"

Jesus sighed, "I said, I will be your date to your brother's wedding."

Emma turned back to him, with a skeptical look on her face. She had been begging him for weeks. As much as she hated to admit it, her family was one of the richest in San Diego. If she showed up to her brother's wedding without an escort, there was a chance (albeit a small one) that she would be disinherited.

"It's white tie. You'd have to wear a tux with tails, and gloves."

Jesus shrugged, "Not the worst thing I've had to wear."

She took a tentative step towards him, "We'd have to learn how to ballroom dance."

"I can already do most of them, and I had to learn the waltz last year."

"You'd have to deal with my family."

"I have two moms, two brothers, two sisters, and one of my moms is pregnant with twins." He tilted his head, "What was that about family?"

Emma took a deep breath, and thought about the offer.

"So... If I teach you how to properly perform an Arm Drag, you'll be my date for a day?"

"I will." Jesus watched her think it over some more, "So, do we have a deal?"

Emma waited a beat, before tossing her bag off her shoulder, then pulling off her hoodie and sweatpants.

"Let's do this."  
* * * * * * * * *

Two hours later, Jesus had become an Arm Drag expert... To a certain extent. His upper body strength and coordination had become top notch, over the past year, which made the first part of the move easy for him to perform. But despite his love for his skateboard, his legs were less clumsy and still not as strong as they could be. That had always been his problem. And so every time he went to step behind Emma, and grab her hip during the takedown, she had absolutely no problem knocking him on his ass.

"We should call it a day." Emma laughed as he once again gasped for air. "Maybe give you a chance to recover before we try again."

"No, no. I'm fine." He wheezed, "Just give me a second."

She snorted, as she turned away from him, "No, you're done."

Before she knew what hit her, Jesus reached up, grabbed Emma's wrist, and pulled sharply her down on top of him. He then used her shock to roll them both, until she was lying on her back, with him fully on top of her, his hips and legs between hers.

"What was that about being done?" He smirked down at her.

"Damn, Foster. I'm impressed. I did not see that coming."

Jesus beamed down at her. Getting praise from Emma was like bungee jumping: terrifying, exhilarating, and a total adrenaline rush. It was just another reason why he liked her. 

Emma quirked an eyebrow at him, "Okay, off. Now that I know you're at least competent, we're done until practice on Tuesday."

Jesus nodded, but didn't move an inch.

She narrowed her eyes, "Get off!"

He shook his head, "Nah, I'm kind of comfortable here. I think I might just.."

He moved his arms, and dropped his full weight on top of her.

"You jerk!" Now it was her turn to wheeze, "Jesus, off!"

Emma rolled her hips in the hopes of knocking him off, but he had braced his legs in the sand. As a result, her movement had a rather different effect on him. It didn't take long for them to both notice Jesus's immediate reaction growing between them. 

Jesus's eyes widened in horror.

"Jesus, I'm so sorry!"

He didn't know what to do. He knew from experience that moving would make it worse, so he raised himself back onto his arms, and tried to figure a way out of the situation, "It's all right."

A voice rang out behind them, "Is that so, Mr. Foster?"

Both heads turned to find Principal Sanchez standing on the walkway, with a furious expression on her face.  
* * * * * * * * *

'Worst. Day. Ever.' Jesus thought, with a grimace.

Not only had Sanchez caught them at the least opportune moment, she had proceeded to call his moms and describe IN DETAIL what exactly she had seen them doing. (And from a spectator standpoint, he had discovered that it had looked less than innocent.)

To make matters worse, they had sent Nessa to pick him up, as she headed home for the evening. Getting stuck in a car with the aunt he had known for less than a day with the boner he still hadn't gotten rid of was not his proudest moment.

And then of course he's walked into the kitchen.

"I understand the pull towards having sex, but you have to be aware of the repercussions." Lena's comment seemed to be directed less at him, and more towards the table as she once again tried to ignore the way her stomach kept rolling.

"But we weren't having-" Jesus's protest was weak. They could all SEE the problem.

Stef tried to cut his some slack as rubbed her wife's back to rub Lena's back, "That doesn't change the fact that you broke into the school."

At least that one he could refute, "But we didn't break in. We were just on the volleyball court!"

"Yeah, we heard." Lena muttered.

"It was private property, Jesus!" Stef shook her head in annoyance, "Do you understand how bad that could have been?! What if it had been the cops, and not just your principal?"

"I would've called you-"

"JESUS!"

Jesus sighed. " We were outside practicing a wrestling move. It's not like we were defacing property."

Stef started to comment again, but he was quick to cut her off.

"And for the record? We weren't having sex."

"But you wanted to."

He slid he legs further under the table, and refused to meet their gaze.

"Even after what happened with Lexi?" Stef finally asked the question all three of them had been thinking, "And by the way, what about Lexi?! I thought you two were still together."

That was one question he didn't know how to answer. "What happened today was a mistake, I get that. I swear it won't happen again."

Lena lifted her head up, "We know it won't. But that doesn't change the fact that there are always consequences for your actions. Especially when it comes to sex. You have to be aware of that."

"I know, and I am." Jesus sighed.

Another wave of nausea forced Lena to lean into Stef. Stef wrapped her arms around Lena, and kissed her temple in response. It really was turning out to be a miserable day.

"Promise us you'll be careful." The blonde leveled him with a hard stare, "That you'll think before you just jump into bed with someone."

Jesus nodded, "Yeah, I promise."

Brandon looked down at himself as he stood on the stairs. While it had felt good in the moment, sleeping with Talya had been so dumb. 

As the conversation in the kitchen wound to a close, Brandon ran upstairs, choosing to shut his actions out, instead of face them.


End file.
